Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-08-06

THAT dare not do to gain you. Listen;
promise to marry me tomorrow morning. l
will get clergyman here from Walker
stroom, and your uncle shall go free as air,
though he is traitor to the land, and though
he has tried to shoot a burgher after the
declaration of peace Refuse, and he dies
Choose now"
II have chosen, she answered with passion
Frank Muller, perjued tIaitor-yes, muir
derer that you are, I will not marry your
"Very good, very good, Bessie; as you will.
But now one more thing. You shall not say
that have not warned you. If you persist
in this your uncle shall die, but you shall not
escape me. You will not marry me2 Well,
even In this country, where l can do most
things, cannot force you to do that But
can force you to be my wife in all but the
name without marriage and this, when your
uncle is stiff in his bloody grave, l will do.
You shall have one more chance after the
trial, and one only. If you refuse he shall
die. and then, after his death, shall take you
away by force, and in a weeks time you viii
be glad enough to marry me to cover up your
shame, my prettyP
"You are a devil, Frank Muller, wicked
devil; but will not be frightened into dis
honor by you. | had rather kill myself
trust to God to help me- will have nothing
to do with you" and she put her hands be-
fore her face and burst into tears
"You look lovely when you weep" he said,
with laugh; tomorrow shall be able to
kiss away your tears. As you will Here,
your he shouted to some men, who could be
seen watching the progress of the dying fire,
| "come here"
Some of the men Obeyed and be proceeded
| to give instructions in the same terms that he
| had given to the other two men who were
watching old Silas, ordering Bessie to be in
stantly incarcerated in the corresponding lit
| tie room on the other side of the wagon house,
and kept strictly from all communication
| with the outside world, adding, however
these words:
IBID the burghers assemble in the wagon
house for the trial of the Englishman, Silas
| Croft, for treason against the state and at
| tempted murder of one of the burghers of
the state in the execution of the commands Of
| the triumvirate.'
The two men advanced and seized Bessie by
both arms Then, faint, and overpowered,
she was led through the little plantation over
gap in the garden wall, down past the
scorched syrinsa trees that lined the road
| way that ran along the hillside at the back OF
the still burning house, till they reached the
wagon house with the two little rooms which
| served respectively as a store and harness
| room She was then thrust into the store
room, which was half full of loose potatoe.
and mealies III sacks, and the door locked
| upon her
| There was no window to this room and the
| only light in it was such as found its way
| through the chinks of the door and an all
hole i'll the masonry of the back wall. Sh,
sank on a half emptied sack of meales ant
tried to reflec. Her first idea was of escape
but she soon realized that that was a practi
cal impoSsibility The stout, yellow Woo
door was locked upon her, and sentry stoot
before it. She rose and looked through th,
sentry was posted. Then she turned her at
tention to the side wall that divided the room
from the wagon house 1t was built of four
teen inch green brickwork, and had cracked
from the shrinkage of the bricks, so that sh
could hear anything that went on in tn
wagon house, and even see anybody VIII,
might he moving about in it, But it was fa
too strong for her to hope to be able to breal
through, and even if she did, it would be use
less, for there were armed men there also
Besides how could she run away and leave he
old uncle to his fate!